1
as in played
to engage in activity for amusement
he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lingered
to move or act slowly
don't dally on the way to the interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
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3
as in flirted
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in dawdled
to spend time doing nothing
I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dallied
Verb
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Goldin originally conceived of it as a slideshow timed to songs by The Velvet Underground and Dionne Warwick, played in nightclubs around New York, and eventually, in the Whitney Biennial in 1985.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026 -
The 33-year old native of the Dominican Republic has played his entire 13-year, big league career in Cleveland.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Around her, dozens of community members lingered along the street with coffee handed out by volunteers, hugging old friends, calling out familiar names and answering a steady chorus of car horns with cheers and applause as students made their way toward campus, backpacks slung over their shoulders.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
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In Nashville, Tennessee, where nearly 100,000 power outages lingered early Wednesday, high temperatures were to rise just above freezing before plunging to 13 Fahrenheit overnight.—
Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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McVay flirted with leaving coaching for broadcasting, at least temporarily, because of burnout after the 2021 championship season spilled into a miserable 2022.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Since winning World Series in 1987 and 1991, the Twins have really only flirted with postseason relevance.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off.—
Thomas Black,
Twin Cities,
21 Dec. 2025
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Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.—
Dan Kois,
New Yorker,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nevertheless, he's repeatedly toyed openly about the idea of running again in 2028.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
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According to Wolpe, Billie toyed around with the placement of their bush on the terracotta planter in the shape of a woman in a sports bra and ponytail.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Verb
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Developer Omega Force and publisher Koei Tecmo announced that it has been delayed to an unspecified date.—
George Yang,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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If lawmakers fail to reach a bipartisan compromise on ICE funding, the agency’s annual funding will be delayed.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the selfie, Gomez lounged on her sofa with her head in one hand.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
17 Jan. 2026
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Patrons lounged in a smoky daze; men wearing fedoras played mah-jongg.—
Dennis Zhou,
New Yorker,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The company pulled the plug on its Cruise robotaxi business in 2024 in the wake of a high-profile incident in which a San Francisco pedestrian was dragged under the car.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
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The stretch is just short of New York City’s record cold stretch, which dragged on for 16 days.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dallied. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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